Etchings
by bamchickawow
Summary: Histugaya finds Karens name etched in wood. KarinxHistugaya Harmless Fluff! Flames welcomed.


I would like to thank the following people who inspired me to write this late night fic:

Reflecting, phoenix-aerith, volcomchick, Oreoie, Sob Worthy, misa, JadeWolf, Lady Light, Jake, HolyKnight5, J.C.B., Inuhanyou, HopelesslyxXxLost, DreamCatcher16, gdfgfd, and windlily

Oh yeah my first 6 reviews came within 27 minutes of each other which I think is pretty cool!

**MY REASON FOR DOING THIS FIC IS SO THAT OTHERS MAY WRITE THEM AS WELL!** I encourage you all to start writing KarinxHistugaya fics!

**Disclaimer:** Kubo Tite owns Bleach

Sorry for all grammar and spelling mistakes. Enjoy!

**Etchings**

The icy captain took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. A small cloud of mist appeared in front of his mouth.

Summer had ended and been replaced with the cool breezes of Autumn. The mornings were very cold compared to the afternoons. Orange and burgundy leaves covered the sidewalks leaving the trees bare.

Hitsugaya smiled as he looked up into the cloudy sky. Histugaya always loved the mornings. The cold breeze would gently flow past his face and through his hair. It woke him up but kept him relaxed and peaceful. He dug his hands into his pocket and began his walk.

Hitsugaya didn't know where exactly he was walking to. He had an idea because when he would go fight hollows, he would sometimes go past this area. On each side of the road were apartments and small town houses. He thought if he kept going down this road, he would eventually reach a park.

The park was empty and not sound could be heard. There was a small playground with benches all around it. Some picnic tables were also scattered about the park. The ground was sandy where the playground was but green grass surrounded everything else. The trees were all bare, some leaves still held on strongly to the branches. All the skinny trees bark had gone gray while the older trees had a light brown colour.

Hitsugaya's sneakers were getting a wet with every step he took. The dew would get absorbed into shoe's fibres. Hitsugaya treaded past the empty swing sets. Before him was a whole bunch of small skinny trees. There were so many and so clustered together that Hitsugaya could not see past them from where he stood. Something intrigued him about what was hiding behind all those trees.

He began walking forward. He had to take his hands out of his leather jacket, so he could move around more easily in between the trees. The shinigami captain was finding it hard to squeeze between the trees. For some reason his heart began to pound lightly in his chest, he blamed the gigai. He began to swerve faster between the trees and his heart kept pace with him, beating intensely. As he moved quicker he got more careless. His jacket got stuck in a branch as he was moving. Hitsugaya didn't notice it and kept going. The branch tore through his jacket and skin. He had a long cut through his arm with a piece of the branch lodged in his flesh.

Finally Hitsugaya had torn through the dark grey forest. He panted slightly before his breath caught because of the sight before him. There were big tall oaks in front of him and the strange thing was, it looked like spring had never left the place. The bark was dark brown and the leaves dark green. If the sun wasn't still hidden behind the wintery clouds Histugaya would have mistaken it for summer.

Hitsugaya could see a clearing past the trees for they weren't as clustered as the other trees. He walked by the trees, his hands trailing each tree next to him. Hitsugaya stopped for a moment as he peered at the clearing. There was a picnic table right in the centre of all the trees. It was in better condition than the tables back at the playground. Hitsugaya figured that not many people knew about this place, explaining its untouched beauty.

The white haired boy walked over to the table. He placed his hand over the wooden table. He moved his hand over the smoothed wood. He felt bumps then smooth wood then more bumps. He looked down where his hand had been. There were etchings of something.

The marks were barely noticeable to the eye. Hitsugaya stepped over the built in bench and sat down. His finger traced one of the etchings. He moved his head down to get a better look. Hitsugaya's eyes widened. He had traced a name.

**Karin-****chan**

He immediately thought of his soccer friend, Kurosaki Karen. It couldn't be her, could it? Hitsugaya began to think 'Did someone etch her name into here?' Without even think Histugaya wondered out loud, "A boy, perhaps?"

Hitsugaya didn't know why the thought set him off so much. After all from what he had seen most of Karen's friends were guys. Besides why would he care if a guy liked her enough for him to carve her name.

Did she know someone had carved her name here? Did she want it?

'Nah, she's not into that kinda stuff.' Hitsuguya thought to himself. Beside he was probably just over reacting, after all there were probably hundreds of girls with the name Karin around here. Besides she should be interested in guys around her age, it was natural.

"Ugh, if it's so natural then why do I feel so _unnatural_." Histugaya complained loudly to no one in particular. He lifted his feet up onto the bench and placed his hands behind his head as he laid down.

Sun rays were scattered all over the place due to the many branches blocking the suns path. Histugaya did not feel the stinging in his right arm as he slipped into a dreamless sleep. Nor did he hear the footsteps headed his way.

* * *

The white haired boy woke up with a groan. Something was wrapped tightly around his arm and was causing a dull pain to crawl up his arm. 

"It can't hurt that much." A mysterious voice spoke to the young captain. His eyes widened in shock and he turned around instantly, nearly falling off the bench in process. His eyes softened at his friends face. As he looked at Karin's smirking face his mind automatically thought of the etching.

**Karin-****chan**

Was she here because of the etching?

Karin was growing silently annoyed at his blank face but she was also getting uneasy. He was staring right at her face. It was unnerving having someone staring out you without blinking.

Eventually she just started waving her hand in front of his face.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" She said almost teasingly, knowing it would most likely get a response out of him.

Karin smiled when she saw his eyes narrow. She knew how to get exactly a response and how long had they known eachother? A week? Oh yeah, she could do something that it took most people at least a month to do. She could read his face easier than a Dr.Seus book.

Even though she knew he was paying attention to her, she kept waving her hand in front of his face anyways.

"Stop it!" Histugaya eventually snapped with his vein popping out of his temple. Karin pretended to be hurt by his actions and pretended to sniffle.

"How can you be so mean to someone who just tended your wounds?" She began to (fake) wipe away her tears with her hands. Hook. Line. And sinker. Histugaya had fallen for her act. He immediately began apologising, "I'm sorry! Please don't cry!"

Karin turned around so Histugaya was facing her back, "Oh Toshiro! How can you be so heartless!?"

Histugaya was about to began rapidly apologising when he saw Karin shaking. He figuring she wasn't crying. So he began to play along.

"Oh Karin! I'm so sorry! Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" Histugaya stated melodramatically. Karen burst out laughing when Histugaya had finished his sentence.

She turned around to face him, this time with tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.

"Come down! Toshiro! I was kidding!" She said still laughing and oblivious to the fact he was smirking right at her.

"Yeah, I could tell. 'Tended my wounds' huh?" Toshiro said smirking proudly. Karen stopped laughing, sending Histugaya a questioning look.

"So that cloth must have magically wrapped itself around your cut, right?" Karin said with a dead pan voice with her eyes glancing down to his arm. Histugaya wondering why she was glancing at his arm looked down to see a bloody cloth wrapped around his arm.

"Oh. Thanks." Histugaya merely said, still looking at his arm.

"Is that all I get? It could have gotten infected if I-Hey! What are you doing!?" Karin yelled at Toshiro when she saw him taking of the bandage. Histugaya just began ignoring Karin's loud inquiries and began healing his arm with kidou.

Once Karen saw the green glow of the healing kidou, she became completely entranced. She slid closer to him on the bench. She wanted to reach out and touch it, just to see what it feels like. Karin noticed his cut began to disappear from his skin, all that was left was dry blood on his arm and the bandage.

"What was that?" Histugaya looked right up into Karen's curious eyes. Seriously, Karen was right next to him. Histugaya noticed her eyes weren't black, like he had previously thought, but a dark navy colour. It was interesting because he had never seen an eye colour like that. Maybe he had but he didn't notice.

Without thinking Histugaya replied, "Shinigami Kidou. We use it for battle and healing." His eyes widen when he realized he had given a bad answer. Histugaya saw Karin's eyes dull as she focused her attention on the table. _Shinigami._

"He will come back." Histugaya told her, he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder but he drew back at the last second. He was a bit happy Karen hadn't noticed. Karen turned her attention from the table to Toshiro. Even though the distance between them had grown bigger, Histugaya could see the pain and sadness in her eyes. Mentally he berated her older brother for causing her pain.

"I know it's just... lately he's been different. He's more serious than ever." Karen said quietly. HIstugaya looked at her with sadness. 'She must be in so much pain now.' He thought.

"He's just trying to get more power to protect you." Histugaya tried to comfort her.

"No!" Karen almost yelled at Histugaya. She saw Histugaya's hurt look and calmed herself.

Karen began to explain, "It's just... When he went to train to save Rukia-nii-chan, something about him changed. I couldn't see it but I could feel. It was like that feeling when you get when you watch a scary movie." Karen began looking at the picnic table again.

"You were scared of him?...No, you were scared _for _him?" Histugaya questioned her lightly. Karen nodded as she stared back at the wood. Histugaya also noted Karen knew about Rukia before they were even introduced.

"These last few weeks. The feeling it's been getting stronger. I think he's become obsessed with getting power. I think Rukia-nii-chan notices it as well. What scares me even more is that Ichigo didn't go Rukia-nii-chan or well anyone I know for help. It hurt every ones feelings." Karen began to sob lightly. She was trying to hold the tears in.

_Obsession.__Hinamori_

Histugaya missed his childhood friend so much, she had changed. Just like how Ichigo was beginning to change. He gained a new understanding of Karen. Histugaya finally went with his gut feeling and placed a hand on Karen's back. Karen looked a Histugaya with a little bit of shock. Histugaya noticed the tears forming at her eyes.

"I understand how you feel. He's not a lost hope. You can still stop him from changing."

Karen smiled at Histugaya. She looked down at the table and began moving her hand along it, as if trying to feel for something. Karen's smile grew bigger when she found what she had been looking for. She motioned over to Histugaya.

On the table was the same etching that Histugaya had seen before except now he could see other carvings as well. At first he noticed the big heart, then in the middle were names.

**Masaki+Karen-chan+Yuzu-chan+Ichi-chan****Isshin**

**Happy Birthday!****Karen-****chan**

**Love Mommy**

Histugaya smiled when he saw Isshin with no hornourifics, apparently Mrs.Kurosaki had a sense of humour. Histugaya's thoughts were replaced with Karens voice,

"My mom took my entire family here for my first birthday. I can't remember it but my dad brought me here a week after her death." Karen said with a smile, even when she mentioned her mother. Histugaya was staring right at Karen, listening to every word she said.

Karen then laughed out loud, "I guess old goat chin can be serous!" Histugaya smiled and chuckled with her, knowing how crazy her father was.

A thought then popped into his head, "Hey Karen, is it your birthday?"

Karen smiled and nodded, "Yeah, so where's my present?"

Histugaya panicked for moment but then cooled down and offered his hand to Karen. Who in reply to his out reached hand said, "What am I suppose to do with your hand?"

Histugaya's vein began to bulge, "I'm offering my friendship!"

Karen just glared at him and shook his hand, "Fine, but next year your giving me something better!" Histugaya smirked and nodded.

Karen got up from the bench and dusted her pants off, "Well I gotta go now. See ya around!" Histugaya nodded and exchanged a good bye as well. As Karen was about to walk away down past the trees, Histugaya eyed the 'bandage'.

"KAREN!"

Karen laughed and kept walking as she yelled back, "What? You didn't think I was going to use _my_ shirt, did you!?"

* * *

One Year Later

* * *

Karen sighed as she walked into the little sanctuary, where she had talked with her old friend Histugaya Toshiro the previous. She wondered ,if he was still here, what he would give her for her fourteenth birthday. 

Her question was answered when she saw a soccer ball with a blue ribbon tied in a bow, on the picnic table. She smiled as she took the ribbon off and began to juggle the ball.

She eventually stopped playing with the ball and sat down on the bench. She began move her hand against the smooth wood. She smiled when she felt some bumps. When she looked down, she saw a familiar heart with some names. Then she noticed something just below the heart.

She smiled when she read the carved wood.

**Happy Birthday**

**Toshiro**

The End

**Authors Note:**I have no idea when Karin's birthday is, so just go with the flow please. Also I thought that Histugaya signing his first name would have been sweeter. And the whole thing with Karin and Ichigo is something that I've began to notice. Is that Ichigo is going a bit on the obsession side, even if he has good reasons. That's just my opinion so yeah. I may do more one shots depending on the reviews, just be warned it may take me a while to do more one shots! I also have to work on my One Piece fic too!

**Constructive ****Criticism ****is**** LOVED****! Flames welcomed just not on the pairing! **


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